RESPONSES TO MEDIA

COMMENTS LEFT BY READERS FROM ARTICLES REGARDING THE NORGOMA , IN SOO TODAY AND SAULT THIS WEEK , SOME ARE POSITIVE AND SOME ARE NEGATIVE.

AceOfBass 3/26/2013 8:21:38 AM

This skow has never been a tourist attraction. It is an eyesore and a waste of taxpayers money. Councillors need to stop spending on useless objects as this.

They need to rein in the wasteful spending such as their meeting night banquets. Which some councillors end up taking home.

dad 3/26/2013 8:25:58 AM

your right Ace those pencil necks at city hall have no clue in hell what to do in this town to make it run right like maybe a few jobs would be nice instead of wasting our damn money

flyhawk25 3/26/2013 8:26:14 AM

Note to Susan and Brian - stop dragging your feet. We are throwing more good money after bad.

Obviously you have been listening to the wrong constituents.

Scrap it. Now!

Sam C 3/26/2013 8:33:17 AM

Not quite true, Ace... the "skow" does welcome tourists each year, although not in the numbers that would ensure its viability.

Part of the problem -- other than armchair nay-sayers -- is that we have never truly celebrated our marine heritage. We are "the hub of the Great Lakes," and yet our biggest concern seems only to be getting across the river for cheap gas, or walking along the boardwalk to stare at the river flowing by.

Take a stroll along the waterfront area in Soo, MI, and you'll see an appreciation of their marine heritage. We could take a lesson from them.

TUGBOATANNIE 3/26/2013 8:51:14 AM

$15,000 Dollars for the Norgoma is money well spent. Look at what the old Stone House and other attractions cost the taxpayers. If you want to have a history you had better preserve it!

kamen 3/26/2013 8:54:20 AM

I've never been in the Norgoma although I would like to go once at least before it is gone. The trouble is that they don't really advertise it right, give her a new face lift maybe like the old stone house. Advertise a bit more at least for one year and see what happens. I say keep it at least for this year and then maybe discuss the option of moving her elsewhere at the end of the summer.

Just Curious 3/26/2013 8:56:15 AM

Not everything the city does has to make money...Look how much we pay Mayor and council and we sure don't make much profit on that...:)

FunMan 3/26/2013 8:56:53 AM

We should sink it and then use it as a dive site.

An active dive site would probably bring in more tourist dollars than how it sits currently.

soorez1 3/26/2013 9:26:04 AM

This boat is not a draw to the waterfront or a destination for tourists or residents. It is a rusty old bucket that needs to be removed from our beautiful waterfront. Council, it is time to bite the bullet and say NO to more tax dollars being wasted on this eyesore.

Riverpilot 3/26/2013 9:46:52 AM

The Norgoma has been an icon on our waterfront since 1975 when it was donated by the Owen Sound Transportation Company, now operating the M.S. Chi-Chee-maun car ferry. The ship was originally built in 1950 (steam powered)and served between Owen Sound and Sault Ste. Marie replacing the infamous Keewatin and Assiniboia which were the primary means of travel from the south to the north, right through to Thunder Bay before the highway was constructed around Lake Superior. The Norgoma represents a "dying" tradition, and important reminder of how our northern communities were shaped. We should never forget what the passenger ships did for this country as did the rail service from coast to coast.

There is a historical group in Manitowaning (Manitoulin Island) which has brought the "Norisle" (Norgoma's sister ship) back to life recently and is now proposing to sail her once again. They've done a terrific job! Across the river, in Sault Michigan, is the old steamer "Valley Camp", once owned by Republic Steel and hauled iron ore and coal on the Great Lakes. That tourism attraction brings in more than ten times what the Norgoma does and is very much worth the visit. It is well managed by people who care and are willing to promote the nautical heritage of this region. I feel perhaps, if the ship was transferred over to the Bushplane site, by grouping together attractions, it would get more publicity. With the tour boat "Chief Shingwauk" now gone, there are very few tourists that roam that section of the waterfront.

All in all, it's purely a matter of strategic planning, management and dedication. With these three vital components, I believe the ship will always be a part of a city's pride!

Paddlenut 3/26/2013 9:57:24 AM

Well said Riverpilot. A $15 000 annual subsidy amounts to about 20 cents per person in the Soo. A small price to preserve its rich heritage.

Riverpilot 3/26/2013 10:23:23 AM

In addition, if you would like to see a pretty neat video of the passenger ships docking at Sault Ste. Marie's Government dock (late 1950's), go to "Youtube.com" and enter in "SS Keewatin and SS Assiniboia". There is amazing footage of the two ships in action on our waterfront, loading cars and passengers. It will give you a great perspective of how these ships were once a vital part of our city!

Milky_White 3/26/2013 10:31:48 AM

Bring it down to Bellvue Park for the kids to play on hahahahaha

theprotector 3/26/2013 11:09:57 AM

spend 5000 put up a plaque and a picture and get rid of the eye sore

funkywalker 3/26/2013 11:56:40 AM

Keep it. If the posters on this site are that adamant about getting rid of it, I'll cover the $1.60 that would come out of their pockets. People like that are the one's turning this city into a culture less s&@t hole.

Nimrod 3/26/2013 12:04:15 PM

Take it off the budget table if it's not viable on it's own. We already have too many tax syphons like the E.D.C. on the payroll!

scottfr21 3/26/2013 12:35:47 PM

Here is the problem with the Norgoma, I did go last summer with my children. It is not well advertised, it needs some work,and the historical displays and information could be increased. If it was done up properly it could be a destination along the waterfront along with the locks and the bush plane museum, the boardwalk, belview park, ect.... I lived in the Soo till leaving for college and never went once. Museums were not really part of the education package when i grew up They were never really advertised as well.(except for the old stone house)

molder2 3/26/2013 12:43:03 PM

They should turn it into a floating Brothel and Casino...and park it right in front of city hall...lmao..

geterdun 3/26/2013 1:39:45 PM

scrap metal that's all I see and that"s all it is.......get rid of it its an eye sore and is taking up valuable dock space. If this municipal gov gives ten cents to this wreck they should all be fired!!!!!!!!!!

mallet 3/26/2013 4:05:15 PM

I just wonder what they have done with the $75K they have had over the last five years. I don't know if the paint they use cost that much, or if they pay mooring fees out it, or pay whomever. Personally I have seen very little advertising done for the old girl, in fact I cannot recall seeing any brochures for it in the visitor centre, when I have taken relatives in for various ideas and exchange money. I know the topsides is white, but the hull looks like the "Altmark" dark and menacing. However whatever the decision, make it, stop dicking about and do something.

guard1 3/26/2013 4:32:50 PM

Here is an innovative idea, the councillors that are so passionate about keeping the boat should donate portions of their salaries to it. Otherwise sell it for scrap to essar, they can use the scrap and the money city hall gets can be applied to reducing the budget

guard1 3/26/2013 4:36:45 PM

Here is an innovative idea, the councillors that are so passionate about keeping the boat should donate portions of their salaries to it. Otherwise sell it for scrap to essar, they can use the scrap and the money city hall gets can be applied to reducing the budget

TaxiManSteve 3/27/2013 7:20:56 PM

$15,000? This is over a mere $15,000 a year? A mere trifle in your overall budget... This is ship is part of who you were and are. So why not keep this last reminder of the passenger and freight service up and down the shores of Ontario?

Maybe we should follow the money trail. Maybe someone will make a pretty penny if Norgoma is scrapped.

tcowen 3/27/2013 9:52:55 PM

If we love her 'Heritage' so much.. why leave it barnacle bound & tethered.

Restore it, start it up & put her back into service doing tours around the lake-head with four stops. Splitting the operating costs with other communities.. who in turn could share the benefits of the Norgoma's historical past & a thought provoking future of actually bringing the tourists to the area.

If 1500 people paid 20 bux to walk up one plank and back down the other.. I would think those same people would pay 150 dollars to travel the same route she once served so faithfully.

We have a perfectly good (empty) building sitting right there to sell tour packages from & as I understand it the Norgoma has been very well maintained by her volunteers.. she is as seaworthy as the day she was barricaded in there.

Start it up, back it out & let her enjoy her retirement years ferrying tourists & their money around Algoma.

These mystery tourists aren't coming here on there own.. maybe it's time we put a little foresight into it and send her out to pick them up.?

I believe it's an idea worth 'incubating' at first glance I see about 700,000 per year.. but she won't earn that boxed in a marina, passing out 2 cent flyers on community day.